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Mahabharata: The Greatest Spiritual Epic of All Time (Great Classics of India) (Great Classics of India) | 
 enlarge | Author: Krishna Dharma
Publisher: Torchlight Publishing
Category: Book
List Price: $28.95
Buy New: $24.99
You Save: $3.96 (14%)
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Rating:  26 reviews
Sales Rank: 61053
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 960
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.9
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 5.9 x 1.9
ISBN: 1887089136
Dewey Decimal Number: 294
EAN: 9781887089135
ASIN: 1887089136
Publication Date: January 15, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Condition: *BRAND NEW* Most orders ship next business day. Premium retailer since 1996. Satisfaction guaranteed! Over 1.3 million books sold!
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Product Description
A powerful and moving tale, the Mahabharata recounts the history of the five heroic Pandava brothers. Cheated of their kingdom and sent into exile they set off on a fascinating journey.Profound spiritual themes underlie the thrilling narrative, making it one of the worldOs most revered texts. Culminating in an apocalyptic war, Mahabharata is a masterpiece of suspense, intrigue, and illuminating wisdom.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 21 more reviews...
Difficult to follow, but enchanting December 2, 2008
This is a very ancient hindu epic. It has lots of characters and situations that change continuosly, but it has the enchantment of a fairy tale. To enjoy it, don't follow your sense of logic, but your intuition.
 Very bad book. October 27, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book is probably the worst translation of the original epic. The book is totally biased to reflect the writers views rather than presenting the original text. The language is not clear and the editor has done a pretty ordinary job. Also, the writer exaggerates the events blowing them out of proportion. I would definitely not recommend this book to anyone.
 completely absorbing, won't be able to put it down September 2, 2008
I found this completely absorbing. I couldn't stop reading it. The mahabharata is the greatest story ever told and probably the source of other epics. The amazing good vs evil with the borderline in betweens that keep you tuned in. (bhishma, karna) Anyway, amazing rendition of this epic.
 Expected better December 29, 2007
2 out of 6 found this review helpful
This book is fine as a sort of cliff's notes to get acquainted with the storyline of one of the most important pieces of world literature of all time. But I feel strongly that KD's turning it into a juicy melodrama is the wrong treatment to give such an important work. The subtitle of this book is "The Greatest Spiritual Epic of All Time." I would make it "The Greatest Spiritual Epic of All Time, reduced to the level of a vacuous soap opera." That's how it reads, anyway.
If you're into Mary Higgins Clark or Dungeons and Dragons, etc., you will love this rendering. As for people with more criteria, prepare yourselves for the awkwardness of paramount characters like Arjuna and Krishna reduced to the likes of, say, Fabio.
Faithful and fascinating rendering May 7, 2006
13 out of 13 found this review helpful
The Mahabharata says of itself, "What is not found here in the realms of religion, economic development, pleasure and liberation, will not be found anywhere else, and what is found anywhere else in these realms will also be found here." The original text contains a hundred thousand Sanskrit verses (although it is also said that in higher planets the text consists of a million verses), so there is certainly enough scope for this statement to be true. And having read the original several times I for one would not want to argue. The wealth of both material and spiritual wisdom found in the Mahabharata is phenomenal, truly mind-blowing to use the modern vernacular, and what is most wonderful is that it is presented in such a palatable way, through the medium of so many fascinating tales. We hear of kings and sages, of gods, demigods, nymphs and angels, and of heroes dedicated to the path of holy virtue. As we read we feel uplifted and edified, transported to some amazing ancient world where life had a purpose, where everyone understood that we are eternal spiritual beings, and that all of us are on a journey that ultimately ends in liberation, in freedom from the cycle of birth and death and all its concomitant suffering.
It would take a brave man therefore to attempt to contain all this in a single book, and Krishna Dharma is to be commended for his effort. His main aim has plainly been to convey the spirituality of the text, but he has not done so at the expense of the critical elements of the story. The narrative flows smoothly and entertainingly. Dharma's turn of phrase is stirring, elevated and often wryly humorous, which is quite in keeping with the original. Indeed, he has adhered closely to the original, as far as I can see, very much keeping the voice of the sage Vyasa - the book's original author - resounding throughout the pages. I believe this was a major concern of his, and in fact he is a disciple in a spiritual line that descends from Vyasa himself, so it is hardly surprising.
Although Dharma has used a writing style somewhat similar to a modern novelist, it has to be remembered that the Mahabharata cannot be compared to a contemporary novel. It is not a book of suspense that aims to titillate and keep us on the edge of our seats until some dramatic climax occurs. Rather it seeks to present profound spiritual truths and worldly wisdom, couched in various stories that are all woven around one central narrative. There is therefore a certain amount of repetition and Dharma has often abbreviated lengthy and repetitive sections of the original to make it more readable, but without losing the essential points. His treatment of the Bhagavad-gita is a good example. This forms one chapter of the work and consists of seven hundred philosophical verses in the original. Dharma has expertly condensed it into a fascinating narration, managing at the same time to present the core messages in an easily assimilable way.
One thing I particularly liked about this version was the way that Dharma gives insights into the inner life of the characters, which is rarely found in the original text. This is a real strength of the book, in my view. He brings the characters to life in a dramatic fashion that keeps the interest of his reader as well as any fast paced novel might do. Like one of the professional reviewers cited here, I also found that I could hardly "tear my mind away." But more than that I found myself moved on a deep spiritual level, inspired to embark on the inner journey that the Mahabharata so vividly portrays through the pastimes of Krishna and his pure followers, the Pandavas, who are the book's main characters. At the end of the day, this was the intention of Vyasa, so I would say that Dharma has succeeded in this endeavour. Certainly the best modern rendition that I have read. Highly recommended.
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